Two Emiratis will graduate in a Nasa ceremony on Tuesday, after completing two years of astronaut training.
Nora Al Matrooshi, 31, a mechanical engineer, and Mohammed Al Mulla, 36, a former Dubai Police helicopter pilot, will become eligible for space missions after they receive a silver astronaut pin in a celebration at the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, Texas.
The duo follow in the footsteps of Hazza Al Mansouri, the first Emirati in space, and Sultan Al Neyadi, now Minister of Youth, who completed a six-month mission on board the International Space Station last year.
What happens after graduation?
The graduation of Ms Al Matrooshi and Mr Al Mulla will help boost the UAE's space programme, as the nation's astronaut corps gains two more members.
But it could be some time until the new recruits can travel to space, as the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) tries to arrange new missions.
Salem Al Marri, director general of MBRSC, said their four astronauts would be given assignments in Houston and the UAE, where they will work in mission control and carry out outreach activities in schools.
"Once they graduate, they will go into a rotation system, where most probably we will have two of our astronauts based in Houston for a while and then they rotate back to Dubai and vice versa," he said.
"When you are not mission-assigned, your jobs are something like Capcom [mission control officer who communicates with astronauts in space], working with different partners and on something like the Gateway [a lunar-orbiting station], which our astronauts will be an integral part of.
"So, that's what their jobs will be for the foreseeable future."
Once an astronaut is selected for a mission, they enter a training period of up to 18 months.
The majority of an astronaut's career is spent on Earth in various roles involving training, mission control, research and public outreach.
Nasa, for example, has 39 Americans active in its astronaut corps, seven of whom have yet to fly to space.
When will the UAE's next space mission be?
Historic scenes unfolded when Dr Al Neyadi left Earth on a SpaceX rocket about this time last year.
He was the first Arab to carry out an extended mission and the first to carry out a spacewalk.
His trip was made possible because MBRSC secured a deal with Axiom Space, a Houston-based space infrastructure company that helps arrange trips to orbit.
Maj Al Mansouri's eight-day trip to the floating laboratory in 2019 was made possible by Russian collaboration.
Mr Al Marri said the space centre would try to secure a mission every three to five years, which means it could be a while before the next Emirati blasts off.
And with the International Space Station nearing retirement at the end of this decade, the Emirati astronauts could be training for different missions in future.
There are international plans to launch commercial space stations in orbit, on which astronauts can live and work.
The UAE is also planning to send astronauts to the Moon's orbit and is contributing to the Gateway by developing an airlock, an airtight room used to enter and exit a space station.
Other countries to have struck deals with Axiom Space include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Hungary and the UK.
How to watch the UAE's latest astronauts graduate
Ms Al Matrooshi and Mr Al Mulla's graduation ceremony will be streamed live on Nasa's website at 7.30pm UAE time.
They will graduate alongside 10 US astronauts, who will also receive their silver astronaut pin.
Nasa has been awarding lapel pins since 1963 to astronauts who complete basic training.
Silver ones are given to those who have completed their training but have yet to fly to space.
Gold ones are awarded to astronauts who have already gone to space.
The Emirati astronauts are expected to give speeches at the graduation ceremony.
White hydrogen: Naturally occurring hydrogen
Chromite: Hard, metallic mineral containing iron oxide and chromium oxide
Ultramafic rocks: Dark-coloured rocks rich in magnesium or iron with very low silica content
Ophiolite: A section of the earth’s crust, which is oceanic in nature that has since been uplifted and exposed on land
Olivine: A commonly occurring magnesium iron silicate mineral that derives its name for its olive-green yellow-green colour
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
Series info
Test series schedule 1st Test, Abu Dhabi: Sri Lanka won by 21 runs; 2nd Test, Dubai: Play starts at 2pm, Friday-Tuesday
ODI series schedule 1st ODI, Dubai: October 13; 2nd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 16; 3rd ODI, Abu Dhabi: October 18; 4th ODI, Sharjah: October 20; 5th ODI, Sharjah: October 23
T20 series schedule 1st T20, Abu Dhabi: October 26; 2nd T20, Abu Dhabi: October 27; 3rd T20, Lahore: October 29
Tickets Available at www.q-tickets.com
Stat Fourteen Fourteen of the past 15 Test matches in the UAE have been decided on the final day. Both of the previous two Tests at Dubai International Stadium have been settled in the last session. Pakistan won with less than an hour to go against West Indies last year. Against England in 2015, there were just three balls left.
Key battle - Azhar Ali v Rangana Herath Herath may not quite be as flash as Muttiah Muralitharan, his former spin-twin who ended his career by taking his 800th wicket with his final delivery in Tests. He still has a decent sense of an ending, though. He won the Abu Dhabi match for his side with 11 wickets, the last of which was his 400th in Tests. It was not the first time he has owned Pakistan, either. A quarter of all his Test victims have been Pakistani. If Pakistan are going to avoid a first ever series defeat in the UAE, Azhar, their senior batsman, needs to stand up and show the way to blunt Herath.
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Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi
Director: Kangana Ranaut, Krish Jagarlamudi
Producer: Zee Studios, Kamal Jain
Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Ankita Lokhande, Danny Denzongpa, Atul Kulkarni
Rating: 2.5/5
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group H
Juventus v Valencia, Tuesday, midnight (UAE)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Company profile
Date started: 2015
Founder: John Tsioris and Ioanna Angelidaki
Based: Dubai
Sector: Online grocery delivery
Staff: 200
Funding: Undisclosed, but investors include the Jabbar Internet Group and Venture Friends
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The President's Cake
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What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
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- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
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The bio
Academics: Phd in strategic management in University of Wales
Number one caps: His best-seller caps are in shades of grey, blue, black and yellow
Reading: Is immersed in books on colours to understand more about the usage of different shades
Sport: Started playing polo two years ago. Helps him relax, plus he enjoys the speed and focus
Cars: Loves exotic cars and currently drives a Bentley Bentayga
Holiday: Favourite travel destinations are London and St Tropez
MATCH INFO
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